US20060266829A1 - Electronic voting system and method with voter verifiable real-time audit log - Google Patents

Abstract

A voting system and method with a voter verifiable real-time audit log is disclosed. The voting system includes at least one voting terminal operable to record a plurality of poll worker actions and a plurality of voter actions taken at the voting terminal. The voting system also includes at least one printer connected to the voting terminal that is operable to print the poll worker actions and the voter actions on a continuous paper roll so as to create a printed audit log in real-time as the poll worker actions and the voter actions are taken at the voting terminal. Preferably, the paper roll is secured within a locked housing such that the audit log is inaccessible to a voter using the voting terminal. The locked housing includes a display window that enables the voter to review a portion of the audit log associated with the voter in order to verify the voter actions printed on the paper roll.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
• Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates generally to voting systems, and more particularly to an electronic voting system in which a voter verifiable audit log is printed in real-time as actions are taken at a voting terminal.
• 2. Description of Related Art
• In recent years, electronic voting systems have been widely used in elections throughout the world. Typically, an electronic voting system includes multiple voting stations each of which comprises a direct recording electronic (DRE) voting terminal. In operation, a voter selects his/her votes via a touch screen or other input device of the voting terminal. Once the voter casts his/her ballot, the voter's selection of votes are stored in the memory of the voting terminal and electronically tabulated with the vote selections of other voters. Upon poll closing, the vote totals are downloaded from the memory of the voting terminal for final tabulation with the vote totals from other voting terminals.
• One issue that has been raised by computer experts with respect to electronic voting systems is that there is no paper record of the voter's selection of votes. As such, many voters are skeptical of the integrity of the election process and believe that their electronic votes may not be counted correctly. In an attempt to resolve this issue, electronic voting systems have been developed in which the voter's selection of votes are printed on either a paper ballot or a paper receipt that may be examined by the voter and/or used for auditing purposes.
• In a “paper ballot” type of electronic voting system (an example of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,613), each voting station includes a voting terminal with a printer that prints a paper ballot in accordance with the voter's selection of votes. The paper ballot is provided to the voter, whereby the voter has an opportunity to examine the paper ballot for correctness with regard to his/her selection of votes. If the voter observes that the paper ballot correctly represents his/her selection of votes, he/she submits the paper ballot for final tabulation by a tabulating machine. If not, the paper ballot is destroyed and the voter is directed to another voting station to repeat the voting process.
• Alternatively, the voter may insert the paper ballot into a ballot scanning machine connected to the voting terminal. If the scanned paper ballot is identical to the selection of votes stored in the memory of the voting terminal, the ballot scanning machine imprints the paper ballot with a validation code and the selection of votes are permanently stored in the memory of the voting terminal. The paper ballot is then returned to the voter who submits the paper ballot for final tabulation by a tabulating machine. If, however, the scanned paper ballot is not identical to the selection of votes stored in the memory of the voting terminal, the ballot scanning machine invalidates the paper ballot and the selection of votes are erased from the memory of the voting terminal. The paper ballot is then destroyed and the voter is directed to another voting station to repeat the voting process.
• In a “paper receipt” type of electronic voting system, each voting station includes a voting terminal with an associated printer. After all of the votes have been selected, a summary page listing the voter's selection of votes is displayed on the voting terminal for review by the voter. In addition, the printer prints a paper receipt with a summary of the voter's selection of votes. The paper receipt is not provided to the voter, but is instead retained behind a protective window that allows the voter to examine the paper receipt for correctness with regard to his/her selection of votes. If the voter observes that the paper receipt correctly represents his/her selection of votes, he/she then casts his/her ballot by pressing a “cast ballot” button, whereby the paper receipt may be cut by a paper cutter and dropped into a locked ballot box associated with the voting terminal. If the voter changes his/her mind after reviewing the paper receipt, the voter may reject (i.e., cancel) the ballot and the paper receipt will be marked as “rejected.” The voter may reject the ballot up to two times, just as is regulated with a standard paper ballot.
• One problem with the electronic voting systems described above is that they do not track all of the actions taken at the voting terminal. Rather, the paper ballot/paper receipt merely includes a summary of the voter's final selection of votes. As such, auditing the paper ballots would not uncover vote tabulation errors caused by poll worker actions taken at the voting terminal (e.g., in cases where poll workers mistakenly input actual vote selections into the voting terminal because they are not familiar with or trained properly on the voting terminal). In addition, the paper ballot/paper receipt does not include every action taken by the voter during the voting process.
• Another problem with some of these electronic voting systems is that the paper receipt must be cut before it is dropped from the voting terminal into a locked ballot box. Thus, the voting terminal must include a paper cutter for cutting the paper receipt, which adds to the complexity and cost of the system. Also, the individual paper receipts are difficult to assemble for recount purposes. In addition, the large amount of storage space required to store the individual paper receipts is similar to that required for mechanical voting systems using standard paper ballots.
• Yet another problem with some of these electronic voting systems is that the use of the voting terminal is more complex than “paperless” electronic voting systems. In some systems, the voter must examine the paper ballot and, if acceptable, submit the paper ballot for final tabulation by a tabulating machine. In other systems, the voter must insert the paper ballot into a ballot scanning machine and, if validated, submit the paper ballot for final tabulation by a tabulating machine. In yet other systems, the voter must compare the results of two different methods of display for the ballot (i.e., the paper receipt vs. the summary page displayed on the voting terminal). As a result, the voting terminal must display additional voting instructions and/or instruction screens. Also, the voter's ability to reject a ballot causes the waste of paper. In addition, the voter must perform additional steps and/or spend an increased amount of time in the voting booth (e.g., reviewing the printed summary of vote selections). Furthermore, poll workers must be trained on the use of the voting systems so as to be able to provide adequate voter assistance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is directed to a voting system that includes one or more voting stations located within a voting precinct. Each of the voting station(s) comprises a voting terminal and an associated printer that is operable to print all of the actions taken at the voting terminal on a printable medium to thereby create a printed audit log for the voting terminal. These actions may include poll worker actions (such as poll opening, poll closing, screen calibration, time reset, report printed, PEB activation, PEB deactivation, supervisory ballot cast, and supervisory ballot cancelled) and voter actions (such as ballot selection, ballot de-selection, and ballot cast). Preferably, the audit log is created in real-time as the poll worker actions and the voter actions are taken at the voting terminal.
• In an exemplary embodiment, the printable medium comprises a continuous paper roll on which is printed all of the actions taken at the voting terminal between poll opening and poll closing. Preferably, the printable medium is secured within a locked housing such that the audit log is inaccessible to a voter using the voting terminal. However, the locked housing includes a display window that enables the voter to review a portion of the audit log associated with the voter in order to verify the correctness of the voter actions printed on the printable medium.
• In the exemplary embodiment, the printer is also operable to print a plurality of voter bar codes on the printable medium. Each of the voter bar codes contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at the voting terminal, and is preferably printed on the printable medium proximate the printed voter actions for that voter. A commercially available bar code reader is also provided to scan the voter bar codes printed on the printable medium. Importantly, the bar code reader operates independently of the voting terminal so as to enable an independent comparison of the voter bar codes with the voter actions printed on the printable medium for auditing purposes.
• The printer is further operable to print a voting terminal bar code on the printable medium. The voting terminal bar code contains information corresponding to the vote totals of all ballots cast by the voters at the voting terminal, and is preferably printed at the terminal end of the printable medium so that it may be easily scanned by the bar code reader. The bar code reader can thus be used to scan the voting terminal bar codes of all of the voting terminals in the voting precinct.
• Finally, the voting system also includes a computer that may be connected to the bar code reader so as to download the vote totals for all of the voting terminals located in the voting precinct. The computer is programmed to accumulate these vote totals to thereby generate vote totals for the entire voting precinct. As with the bar code reader, the computer operates independently of the voting terminal so as to provide an independent verification of the vote totals for the voting precinct.
• The present invention has several advantages over the prior art. For example, the voting system tracks all of the actions taken at the voting terminal, including both poll worker actions and voter actions, to thereby increase the audit capabilities of the voting terminal. Also, the configuration of the printable medium (e.g., a continuous paper roll) does not require a paper cutter and reduces the amount of paper jams due to more consistent feeding of paper from the paper roll. The paper roll may also be easily fed into a high-speed reader for recount purposes. Also, the paper roll requires a minimal amount of storage space.
• In addition, the voting system does not require the voter to take any additional action with respect to the printed audit log such that the use of the voting terminal is similar to that of “paperless” voting terminals. As such, the voting terminal may display a reduced number of voter instructions that will likely result in the voter spending less time in the voting booth. Furthermore, the amount of poll worker training is reduced, as is the amount of time that a poll worker may need to spend with voter assistance. Of course, other advantages of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a voting system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one of the voting precincts ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the voting stations ofFIG. 2, showing the voting terminal and associated audit log printer;
• FIGS. 4A-4C are flow charts of an exemplary method for operating the voting terminal and associated audit log printer ofFIG. 3; and
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the various verification and auditing capabilities of the voting system ofFIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is directed to a voting system and method with a voter verifiable real-time audit log. In accordance with the invention, all of the actions taken at a voting terminal are printed on a printable medium in real-time so as to create a printed audit log for the voting terminal. These actions may include both poll worker actions and voter actions taken at the voting terminal. A voter is able to review a portion of the printed audit log associated with the voter in order to verify the correctness of the voter actions printed on the printable medium. As such, the printed audit log may be used for both auditing purposes and voter verification.
• Referring now toFIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a voting system in accordance with the present invention is designated generally asreference numeral10.Voting system10 includes acentral computer12 located at anelection headquarters14.Central computer12 includes acentral database16 for storing various types of election information, such as voter registration lists, candidate lists, referendum information, ballot configurations, and the like. A terminal18 is connected tocentral computer12 so that selected information fromcentral database16 can be transferred to a master personalized electronic ballot (PEB), as described below.
• Voting system10 also includes a plurality ofvoting precincts20a-20f. Although six voting precincts have been shown inFIG. 1 for ease of illustration, it should be understood that votingsystem10 may include any number of voting precincts. The ballot data for each of votingprecincts20a-20fis formulated atelection headquarters14 prior to an election and stored incentral database16. The ballot data typically includes the candidates and/or referendum issues that will appear on the ballot for the particular voting precinct. The ballot data for each voting precinct is transferred fromcentral database16 to an internal memory of a master PEB for that voting precinct. The master PEB is then used for transporting the ballot data betweenelection headquarters14 and the voting precinct. It will be seen that the master PEB is also used to store the vote totals for the voting precinct after the election is over.
• Referring toFIG. 2, the system components of voting precinct20awill now be described in detail (wherein it should be understood that the system components of each of voting precincts20b-20fare similar to that of voting precinct20a). Voting precinct20aincludes a plurality of voting stations26a-26d.Although four voting stations have been shown inFIG. 2, it should be understood that voting precinct20amay include any number of voting stations depending on the size of the voting precinct.
• Voting stations26a-26deach include a direct recording electronic (DRE) voting terminal28a-28dand an audit log printer30a-30d.Voting terminals28a-28deach include a PEB reader/writer for reading information from and writing information to various PEBs (as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference toFIG. 3). Each of voting terminals28a-28dis a generic voting machine that can be programmed with ballot data for voting precinct20aby inserting the master PEB for voting precinct20ainto the PEB reader/writer and transferring the ballot data stored on the master PEB to the voting terminal. Since each of voting terminals86a-28dis configured by the ballot data stored on the master PEB, the voting terminals each stand alone and are not connected to any other system.
• Referring toFIG. 3, the configuration ofvoting station26awill now be described in detail (wherein it should be understood that the configuration of each of voting stations26b-26dis similar to that ofvoting station26a).Voting station26acomprises avoting terminal28aconnected to anaudit log printer30a,wherein votingterminal28agenerally includes a PEB reader/writer32, a display34, and an internal computing system (not shown).
• PEB reader/writer32 of voting terminal28ais operable to read information from and write information to various PEBs, such as a master PEB, a supervisor PEB and/or a voter PEB. The configuration of PEB reader/writer32 is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,329 assigned to the assignee of the present application, which is incorporated herein by reference. In the exemplary embodiment, there are two possible modes of activation for voting terminal28a—poll worker activation mode and voter activation mode.
• In poll worker activation mode, a poll worker activates voting terminal28aby inserting a supervisor PEB into PEB reader/writer32. Upon activation, the ballot data transferred from the master PEB to voting terminal28a(described above) is displayed on display34 of voting terminal28a.
• By contrast, in voter activation mode, a poll worker activates a voter PEB at a supervisor terminal (not shown) by writing an activation security code to the voter PEB. The poll worker provides the voter PEB to the voter who proceeds to voting terminal28aand inserts the voter PEB into PEB reader/writer32. PEB reader/writer32 reads the activation security code from the voter PEB, whereby the ballot data is displayed on display34 of voting terminal28a.After the voter has completed the voting process, PEB reader/writer32 writes a deactivation security code to the voter PEB so that it cannot be used again by subsequent voters until the voter PEB is again reactivated by a poll worker at the supervisor terminal.
• Display34 of voting terminal28ais operable to display the ballot data for voting precinct20a.In the illustrated embodiment, display34 comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) configured as a touch screen display so that a voter may select candidates and/or positions on referendums by merely touching the appropriate locations on display34 with either a finger or a computer pen (not shown). Alternatively, if display34 is not configured as a touch screen display, an array of switches may be included as part of voting terminal28afor allowing the input of voter selections. Display34 may also comprise a cathode ray tube (CRT) display configured as a touch screen display located external to voting terminal28a.In such a configuration, the display would be connected to voting terminal28athrough a dedicated I/O connector of voting terminal28a.Of course, other types of displays are also possible.
• The internal computing system of voting terminal28ais surrounded and protected by a sealedhousing36. The internal computing system includes a processor and various types of memory, as is known in the art. Preferably, the processor comprises a suitable microprocessor having sufficient processing capability and speed for operating voting terminal28a.The memory may include any type of memory that is suitable for storing the ballot data, an electronic audit log, vote totals, and other information necessary for the operation of voting terminal28a.In the exemplary embodiment, the memory comprises flash memory, EEPROMs, and a compact flash memory device or other removable data storage system. It will be seen that the compact flash memory device stores a back-up copy of the electronic audit log and is removed from voting terminal28aafter the election for transport toelection headquarters14.
• Referring still toFIG. 3,audit log printer30ais operable to print a description of all actions taken at voting terminal28aon a printable medium so as to create a printed audit log of voting terminal28a.Such actions may include one or more of the following poll worker actions and voter actions:
• • poll opening: poll worker opening the voting terminal
  • poll closing: poll worker closing the voting terminal
  • screen calibration: poll worker calibrating the display screen
  • time reset: poll worker resetting the time on the voting terminal
  • report printed: poll working printing a report to either the audit log printer or the report printer
  • PEB activation: poll worker activating the voting terminal with a supervisor PEB or voter activating the voting terminal with a voter PEB
  • PEB deactivation: deactivation of a voter PEB
  • supervisory ballot cast: poll worker inserting a supervisor PEB into the voting terminal and casting a vote for the voter
  • supervisory ballot cancelled: poll worker inserting a supervisor PEB into the voting terminal and canceling a vote for the voter
  • ballot selection: voter selecting a candidate or referendum position
  • ballot de-selection: voter de-selecting a candidate or referendum position
  • ballot cast: voter casting a ballot
    It should be understood that the above poll worker actions and voter actions are merely examples of the types of actions that may be printed on the audit log. Preferably, the audit log is printed in real-time as the actions are taken at the voting terminal.
• In the exemplary embodiment, the printable medium comprises a continuous paper roll on which is printed all of the actions taken at the voting terminal between poll opening and poll closing. Preferably, the paper roll is sealed prior to election day so that votes may not be pre-printed on the paper roll. As can be seen inFIG. 3, the paper roll is secured within a lockedhousing38 such that the audit log is inaccessible to a voter usingvoting terminal28a.Of course, the poll workers have access to lockedhousing38 in order to load the paper roll, unload the paper roll, clear any paper jams, etc.
• Locked housing38 includes adisplay window40 that enables a voter to review a portion of the audit log associated with the voter. As such, the voter may verify the correctness of the descriptions printed on the audit log in real-time as he/she enters his/her selection of votes (although the voter is not required to review the audit log during the voting process). A magnifier may optionally be provided to assist the voter in reviewing the audit log. Of course, it should be understood that the size and configuration ofdisplay window40 may vary between different voting terminals.
• Audit log printer30ais also operable to print a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) voter bar codes on the paper roll. Each of the voter bar codes contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at voting terminal28a(e.g., the final vote selections for that voter). Preferably, each of the voter bar codes is printed on the paper roll proximate the printed voter actions for that voter. In the exemplary embodiment, each of the voter bar codes is of a standard ASCII format that may be scanned by a commercially available 2D bar code reader. Thus, the scanned information from the voter bar codes may be randomly compared against the voter actions printed on the audit log for auditing purposes.
• In addition,audit log printer30ais operable to print a vote summary on the paper roll that includes a 2D voting terminal bar code. The voting terminal bar code may contain the serial number of the voting terminal, the total ballots cast on the voting terminal, and the vote totals of each candidate and/or referendum issue on the ballot of the voting terminal. Preferably, the voting terminal bar code is printed at the terminal end of the paper roll so that it may be easily scanned after the election is over. In the exemplary embodiment, the voting terminal bar code is of a standard ASCII format so that it may be scanned by a commercially available bar code reader for verification purposes (as described further below with reference toFIG. 5).
• Whileaudit log printer30ais illustrated inFIG. 3 as being directly mounted on votingterminal28a,it should be understood thataudit log printer30acould also be located external to voting terminal28a.Of course, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other configurations foraudit log printer30aare also within the scope of the present invention.
• Referring to the flow charts ofFIGS. 4A-4C, an exemplary method of the operation of voting terminal28aandaudit log printer30awill now be described with reference to steps50-82. Upon poll opening instep50, a poll worker inserts a master PEB into PEB reader/writer32, whereby the ballot data is transferred from the master PEB to voting terminal28a.In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step52 (e.g., “poll opened and ballot data loaded to voting terminal”).
• Next, instep54, a voter is authorized to vote by an appropriate election official, whereby the voter proceeds to voting terminal28a.Instep56, votingterminal28ais activated by inserting either a supervisor PEB or a voter PEB into PEB reader/writer32 (as described above). In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step58 (e.g., “PEB activation”). Then, instep60, the ballot data (i.e., the various candidates and referendum issues to be voted on) are displayed on display34. In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step62 (e.g., “ballot displayed”).
• Instep64, the voter selects his/her votes by touching the appropriate locations on the touch screen of display34. In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of each action on the audit log in step66 (e.g., “Governor: select candidate A”; Governor: de-select candidate A”, Governor: select candidate B”, etc.). Instep68, after all of the votes have been selected, a summary page may be displayed on display34 for review by the voter. This summary page includes a summary of each of the selected candidates/referendum positions, as well as a summary of the under-voted contests. In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step70 (e.g., “summary page selected”). Preferably, a summary of the voter's final selection of votes is not printed on the audit log, as the voter has already had an opportunity to review the description of each individual vote selection in real-time as it is printed on the audit log.
• Instep72, once the voter verifies that the selected votes are correct, the voter touches a “vote” button and the selected votes are stored in the memory of voting terminal28a.In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step74 (e.g., “ballot cast”). In addition,audit log printer30aprints a voter bar code on the audit log instep76. It should be understood that steps54-76 are repeated for each voter.
• Upon poll closing instep78, the poll worker inserts the master PEB into PEB reader/writer32, whereby the vote totals for voting terminal28aare transferred from the memory of voting terminal28 to the master PEB and accumulated with the vote totals for any other voting terminals in voting precinct20athat have already been closed with the master PEB. In response,audit log printer30aprints a description of the action on the audit log in step80 (e.g., “vote totals transferred to PEB”). Then,audit log printer30aprints the terminal report on the audit log instep82, which includes the vote summary and voting terminal bar code for voting terminal28a.
• It should be understood that the operation of voting terminal28aandaudit log printer30aas described in steps50-82 is merely an exemplary method and that other methods of operation are within the scope of the present invention.
• Referring toFIG. 5, the voting system of the present invention provides various verification and auditing capabilities that may be used to check the integrity of the voting system. As can be seen, avoting terminal102 is connected to anaudit log printer104 that is operable to print anaudit log106 of all actions taken onvoting terminal102. The printedaudit log106 includes a votingterminal bar code108 that contains the vote totals of each candidate and/or referendum issue on the ballot of votingterminal102. A commercially availablebar code reader110 is used to scan votingterminal bar code108, as well as the voting terminal bar codes of the other voting terminals in the voting precinct.Bar code reader110 may then be connected to a computer running a commercially available software program (e.g., Excel) that is operable to accumulate the vote totals scanned from each of the voting terminals and print aprecinct report112 accordingly.
• If votingterminal102 is the last voting terminal in the voting precinct to be closed, the poll worker disconnectsaudit log printer104 from votingterminal102 and connects areport printer114 to votingterminal102. At this point, the master PEB inserted into the PEB reader/writer of voting terminal102 contains the accumulated vote totals for all of the voting terminals in the voting precinct. The poll worker is then able to print aprecinct report116 to reportprinter114 based on the vote totals contained within the master PEB. The poll worker may then report the “unofficial” election results for the voting precinct to the election headquarters, either by electronically transmitting the information stored on the master PEB to the election headquarters and/or by physically transporting the master PEB to the election headquarters.
• Upon poll closing, the poll worker removes the compact flash memory device containing the electronic audit log118 from votingterminal102 and physically transports the compact flash memory device (along with the master PEB and precinct report116) to the election headquarters. The election headquarters utilizes a central software program andprinter120 to download the data fromelectronic audit log118 and generate a printedaudit log122. In addition, software program andprinter120 are used to analyze the data downloaded from the electronic audit logs of all of the voting terminals in the voting precinct to thereby generate aprecinct report124.
• Importantly, the commercially availablebar code reader110 and computer used to produceprecinct report112 operate independently of votingterminal102 andreport printer114 used to produceprecinct report116. As such, referring to the comparison circle labeled as “A” inFIG. 5, it can be seen thatprecinct report112 may be compared againstprecinct report116 in order to verify the accuracy of the vote totals for the voting precinct.
• In a similar manner, the commercially availablebar code reader110 and computer used to produceprecinct report112 operate independently of the election headquarter's software program andprinter120 used to produceprecinct report124. As such, referring to the comparison circle labeled as “B” inFIG. 5, it can be seen thatprecinct report112 may be compared againstprecinct report124 in order to verify the accuracy of the vote totals for the voting precinct.
• Furthermore, referring to the comparison circle labeled as “C” inFIG. 5, it can be seen that the individual actions contained within printed audit log106 (i.e., the actions printed from votingterminal102 and audit log printer104) may be compared against the individual actions contained within printed audit log122 (i.e., the printed version of the electronic audit log exported from voting terminal102). Thus, the voting election may be audited by comparing certain actions on printed audit log106 to the same actions on printedaudit log122.
• While the present invention has been described and illustrated hereinabove with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that various modifications could be made to this embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the exemplary embodiment described and illustrated hereinabove, except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims.

Claims (46)

1. A voting system comprising:

at least one voting terminal operable to record a plurality of actions taken at said voting terminal; and

at least one printer connected to said voting terminal and operable to print said actions on a printable medium so as to create a printed audit log in real-time as said actions are taken at said voting terminal.

2. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said actions comprise a plurality of poll worker actions and a plurality of voter actions.

3. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said actions are selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast; supervisory ballot cancelled; ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

4. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said printable medium is secured within a locked housing such that said audit log is inaccessible to a voter using said voting terminal.

5. The voting system ofclaim 4, wherein said locked housing includes a display window that enables said voter to review a portion of said audit log associated with said voter and verify said actions printed on said printable medium.

6. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said printable medium comprises a continuous paper roll on which is printed all of said actions taken at said voting terminal.

7. The voting system ofclaim 6, wherein said paper roll is uncut so as to remain intact for storage and/or auditing.

8. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said printer is also operable to print a plurality of voter bar codes on said printable medium each of which contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at said voting terminal.

9. The voting system ofclaim 8, further comprising a bar code reader operable to scan said voter bar codes printed on said printable medium, wherein said bar code reader operates independently of said voting terminal so as to enable an independent audit comparison of said voter bar codes with said actions printed on said printable medium.

10. The voting system ofclaim 1, wherein said printer is also operable to print a voting terminal bar code on said printable medium that contains information corresponding to vote totals of all ballots cast by a plurality of voters at said voting terminal.

11. The voting system ofclaim 10, further comprising a bar code reader operable to scan said voting terminal bar code printed on said printable medium, wherein said bar code reader operates independently of said voting terminal so as to provide an independent verification of said vote totals for said voting terminal.

12. The voting system ofclaim 11, wherein said voting system comprises a plurality of voting terminals located within a voting precinct, and wherein said bar code reader is operable to scan said voting terminal bar code printed on said printable medium of each of said voting terminals so as to obtain said vote totals for all of said voting terminals located within said voting precinct.

13. The voting system ofclaim 12, further comprising a computer operatively connected to said bar code reader and programmed to accumulate said vote totals for all of said voting terminals located with said voting precinct to thereby generate vote totals for said voting precinct.

14. A method for creating a printed audit log of a voting terminal, said method comprising:

recording a plurality of poll worker actions and a plurality of voter actions taken at said voting terminal;

transferring said poll worker actions and said voter actions from said voting terminal to a printer; and

printing said poll worker actions and said voter actions on a printable medium so as to create said printed audit log in real-time as said poll worker actions and said voter actions are taken at said voting terminal.

15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein said poll worker actions are selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast; supervisory ballot cancelled; and combinations thereof.

16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein said voter actions are selected from the following group: ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

17. The method ofclaim 14, wherein said audit log comprises all of said poll worker actions and all of said voter actions taken at said voting terminal between poll opening and poll closing.

18. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising securing said printable medium such that said audit log is inaccessible to a voter using said voting terminal.

19. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising enabling said voter to review a portion of said audit log associated with said voter so as to verify said voter actions printed on said printable medium.

20. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising printing a plurality of voter bar codes on said printable medium each of which contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at said voting terminal.

21. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising scanning said voter bar codes printed on said printable medium so as to enable an independent audit comparison of said voter bar codes with said voter actions printed on said printable medium.

22. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising printing a voting terminal bar code on said printable medium that contains information corresponding to vote totals of all ballots cast by a plurality of voters at said voting terminal.

23. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising scanning said voting terminal bar code printed on said printable medium so as to provide an independent verification of said vote totals for said voting terminal.

24. A voting system comprising:

at least one voting terminal operable to receive poll worker activity data and voter selection data; and

at least one printer connected to said voting terminal and operable to print said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data on a printable medium so as to create a printed audit log for said voting terminal.

25. The voting system ofclaim 24, wherein said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data are printed on said printable medium in real-time as said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data are received at said voting terminal.

26. The voting system ofclaim 24, wherein said poll worker activity data comprises a plurality of poll worker actions selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast; supervisory ballot cancelled; and combinations thereof.

27. The voting system ofclaim 24, wherein said voter selection data comprises a plurality of voter actions selected from the following group: ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

28. The voting system ofclaim 24, wherein said printable medium comprises a continuous paper roll on which is printed all of said poll worker activity data and all of said voter selection data received at said voting terminal between poll opening and poll closing.

29. A method for creating a printed audit log of a voting terminal, said method comprising:

receiving poll worker activity data and voter selection data at said voting terminal;

transferring said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data from said voting terminal to a printer;

printing said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data on a printable medium so as to create said printed audit log in real-time as said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data are received at said voting terminal;

securing said printable medium such that said audit log is inaccessible to a voter using said voting terminal; and

enabling said voter to review a portion of said audit log associated with said voter so as to verify said voter selection data printed on said printable medium.

30. The method ofclaim 29, wherein said poll worker activity data comprises a plurality of poll worker actions selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast; supervisory ballot cancelled; and combinations thereof.

31. The method ofclaim 29, wherein said voter selection data comprises a plurality of voter actions selected from the following group: ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

32. The method ofclaim 29, further comprising printing a plurality of voter bar codes on said printable medium each of which contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at said voting terminal.

33. The method ofclaim 32, further comprising scanning said voter bar codes printed on said printable medium so as to enable an independent audit comparison of said voter bar codes with said voter selection data printed on said printable medium.

34. The method ofclaim 29, further comprising printing a voting terminal bar code on said printable medium that contains information corresponding to vote totals of all ballots cast by a plurality of voters at said voting terminal.

35. The method ofclaim 34, further comprising scanning said voting terminal bar code printed on said printable medium so as to provide an independent verification of said vote totals for said voting terminal.

36. A voting system comprising:

means for receiving poll worker activity data and voter selection data; and

means for printing said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data on a printable medium so as to create a printed audit log in real-time as said poll worker activity data and said voter selection data are received at said receiving means; and

means for securing said printable medium such that said audit log is inaccessible to a voter, wherein said securing means enables said voter to review a portion of said audit log associated with said voter and verify said voter selection data printed on said printable medium.

37. The voting system ofclaim 36, wherein said poll worker activity data comprises a plurality of poll worker actions selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast; supervisory ballot cancelled; and combinations thereof.

38. The voting system ofclaim 36, wherein said voter selection data comprises a plurality of voter actions selected from the following group: ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

39. The voting system ofclaim 36, wherein said printing means also prints a plurality of voter bar codes on said printable medium each of which contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter.

40. The voting system ofclaim 39, further comprising means for scanning said voter bar codes printed on said printable medium so as to enable an independent audit comparison of said voter bar codes with said voter selection data printed on said printable medium.

41. The voting system ofclaim 36, wherein said printing means also prints a voting terminal bar code on said printable medium that contains information corresponding to vote totals of all ballots cast by a plurality of voters.

42. The voting system ofclaim 41, further comprising means for scanning said voting terminal bar code printed on said printable medium so as to provide an independent verification of said vote totals.

43. A voting system comprising:

at least one voting terminal operable to record a plurality of poll worker actions and a plurality of voter actions taken at said voting terminal;

at least one printer connected to said voting terminal and operable to print said poll worker actions and said voter actions on a continuous paper roll so as to create a printed audit log in real-time as said poll worker actions and said voter actions are taken at said voting terminal;

wherein said paper roll is secured within a locked housing such that said audit log is inaccessible to a voter using said voting terminal, and wherein said locked housing includes a display window that enables said voter to review a portion of said audit log associated with said voter and verify said voter actions printed on said paper roll;

wherein said printer is also operable to print a plurality of voter bar codes on said paper roll each of which contains information corresponding to a ballot cast by a voter at said voting terminal; and

wherein said printer is further operable to print a voting terminal bar code on said paper roll that contains information corresponding to vote totals of all ballots cast by a plurality of voters at said voting terminal.

44. The voting system ofclaim 43, wherein said poll worker actions are selected from the following group: poll opening; poll closing; screen calibration; time reset; report printed; PEB activation; PEB deactivation; supervisory ballot cast;

supervisory ballot cancelled; and combinations thereof.

45. The voting system ofclaim 43, wherein said voter actions are selected from the following group: ballot selection; ballot de-selection; ballot cast; and combinations thereof.

46. The voting system ofclaim 43, further comprising a bar code reader that operates independently of said voting terminal, wherein said bar code reader is operable to:

scan said voter bar codes printed on said paper roll so as to enable an independent audit comparison of said voter bar codes with said voter actions printed on said paper roll; and

scan said voting terminal bar code printed on said paper roll so as to provide an independent verification of said vote totals for said voting terminal.

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